For the Rev. Dorothy A. Patterson and 53 other Bayonne churchgoers, their trip to the nation's capital yesterday was another opportunity to support a "president for all people."

Patterson, the pastor of the Wallace Temple A.M.E. Zion
Church in Bayonne, traveled to watch President Obama's inauguration first-hand.

"It was a marvelous experience," Patterson said of the trip.
"It was a historical event to have him re-elected and I definitely wanted to be
there to show him support."

Patterson and the group left from Bayonne at 4 a.m.
yesterday, arriving in Washington, D.C., just in time for Obama's
inauguration speech.

"I thought (the inauguration speech) was just fantastic,"
Patterson said. "It spoke about who he was as a person - that he's not just a
president for certain people, he's a president for everyone."

Patterson, who went to Obama's first inauguration
in 2009, said that the experience this year was even better than it was four years ago.

"It was extremely cold in 2009," Patterson joked. "I was
just grateful that yesterday, the weather was the way it was."

Patterson added that the crowd, which was estimated to be nearly one
million people, added to her inauguration experience.

"The crowd was so energetic and enthusiastic," Patterson
said. "This was people from everywhere and different levels of economic status
coming together for one main cause – to support the president."

After the inauguration, the group went to a Washington, D.C. restaurant before making the 225-mile journey back to Bayonne. The group returned to Bayonne around 12:30 this morning.

While Obama's second term is only in its infancy,
Patterson hasn't ruled out making another trip to the next president's
inauguration.

"This is something I might continue to do," Patterson said. "I'm
going to keep in prayer the next president will be a president for the people
and for all people. If we can achieve that, I will go down and support whoever
that president will be."